Blood and Honey
by siela14
Summary: Harry was neither dark or light. Slytherin nor a Gryffindor. He was just a teenage boy growing up in a world where he was never wanted - until one day he was. He was the toast of the Wizarding World. Only to have it all slowly taken away. Alive!Potters, Mild HP/TR for a long while, and Harry's not the BWL.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Harry Potter nor ANY CHARACTER!... well the ones you recognize at least. Trust me if I was the genius herself (Mrs. J.K. Rowling) I would be off in some Caribbean island, sipping margaritas mind you, while thinking of creative ways to spend the billions shes made... But. I'm. Not.

Chapter 1 – Goodbye Harry

"James, I can't do this." Lily declared. She snatched the pile of folded clothes from inside the suitcase and started placing back into their respective drawers.

"Lils..." James sighed. Lily has been doing this continually for the last hour. Grabbing clothes from the suitcases and shoving them away, only to burst into tears as soon as she realizes she has no choice in the matter.

They already signed away the custody of Harry James Potter over to Vernon and Petunia Dursley.

Lily's body shook with tremors, her broken sobs resonating throughout the room. "No... no I can't. That's my baby. My first baby."

James swallowed his own tears. Slowly he got up from the bed, careful not to move his body too much. "Honey I know. I don't want to do this either. But we're not going to abandon him. We'll visit every chance we get. Take him away every once in a while on holidays."

"I don't want to be the aunt that visits on holiday James! I'm his mother!" she snapped. Her voice lost a bit of its edge as she continued, "I should be there for his first day of school, his nightmares, sick days and.. and.." she sunk to the floor clutching on one of Harry's favorite shirts to her chest. It was bright green with a stitched on snitch on it – it matched his eyes.

James sunk down slowly to embrace her tightly. "It's better for him Lils. He'll never have to grow up jealous of his brother for being the Boy Who Lived, or ever feel left out when Dumbledore starts training Daniel and not him. He'll.. he'll never be shoved aside by Danny's admirers or feel less being in his shadow. He'll be a normal kid, without the fame of being the brother of the Boy Who Lived-"

"Harry will understand..."

"Harry is only 1. He won't be understanding for a while."

Lily stayed quiet, eyebrows scrunched up in agony. "Lily, we won't have to worry about feeling guilty over always thinking about Danny's safety over his. Only one child's future is ruined here, let's not do the same to Harry."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "But.. Petunia hates me, James. How do I know if..."

"Because, flower, Petunia loves you too."

Lily turned to James and bit her lip. She gave a last shaky smile and slowly stood up. They finished up packing Harry's belongings silently – each one hoping that one day Harry will understand.

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5 MONTHS LATER

"JAMES!... JAMES!.. Merlin where are you?!"

Worried James ran towards the living room where he can hear Sirius' yells coming from where he can only assume to be the fireplace. "Sirius?! What the hell?" He stared down at his friends face in the ashes, angry that he almost woke the sleeping inhabitants of the house.

"Emergency Order meeting. It's really serious."

James stared at Sirius' grave face not detecting a hint of laughter nor humor at his signature pun. It must really be urgent. "I can't." He made a sweeping gesture towards the door, "I just managed to convince Lily to take a calming drought and take a nap. She hasn't been sleeping well and we only just dropped off Harry at Petunia's place again. Throws a fit every time we leave him. We really just need the rest of today...I'm sorry. Not even for the Order."

"James." Sirius pleaded. "Trust me I understand more than anyone, but you need to be here for this. It's about Danny."

James heart dropped. The last time something like this happened Lily was 6 months pregnant with Danny and Dumbledore had informed them, before the Order, about the Prophecy that concerned his youngest son. The duration of her pregnancy became at high risk due to the added stress and fear. "Okay. I'll go." He nodded to himself as if agreeing with his own thoughts. "Let Lily rest while she can..."

Sirius nodded and turned his head, disappearing from view and allowing James to step into the green flames. Soon enough green flames danced around him, turning him around in an array of color and sparks. Before the queasiness can manifest into something more disgusting, James felt his stomach settle as a new room came into view. He stepped out of the grand fireplace, ample enough to fit 5 people, and stared at the faces of the Order members. All of the higher ranking ones and veterans from when the Order of Phoenix was first founded were sitting in a long dark wooded table that took up most of the room. They usually had their meetings here, preferring the security and efficiency of Hogwarts over any ones house or parlor.

James stared at the Dumbledore at the head of the table, noticing immediately the solemn look on his face. He cleared his throat and asked, "What is it? What happened?"

"James, please sit." Dumbledore gestured at the nearest empty chair near him. "Where is Lily? I was hoping..."

"She's not coming." James shook his head. His head was coming up with a hundred different scenarios, each one worse the the former. He also does not appreciate Dumbledore's ability to beat around the bush so many times, a person sometimes doesn't catch the topic he wanted to tell them until they realize he already mentioned it underhandedly a few seconds ago. Because that's certainly happened to James quiet often."And I can't sit. I just need you to tell me _now_."

"My boy..." Dumbledore sighed but nodded, getting straight to the point. "Severus just came back from a Death Eater meeting," Dumbledore ignored the way James nostrils flared and gave his focused glare unto the potions master to his left. "... and Voldemort has found out your location. He's planning a raid. We do not know the exact date but every Death Eater is on call for the next few days."

James continued staring at Snape. He ignored the pitying glances the other members were throwing him and focused his attention on his old classmate.

"James.." he heard Sirius whisper next to him.

He ignored Sirius and spoke to the man who was returning his glare just as strongly. "How did they find out where we lived? The location of my ancestral home has been a well-kept secret for generations!" His voices got louder and louder as he rounded on Snape.

Snape stood up as well, sneering at the red faced Potter. "Well apparently its not that well-kept."

"You bastard! I know you had to have something to do with this! You slimy snake...!"

"Enough!" Dumbledore's voice boomed across the room silencing James and gathering the attention of the room back to him. James swallowed his pride and stepped away from the presence of the old slytherin. Dumbledore stared at James steadily, not finding any of the old Slytherin vs. Gryffindor feud amusing. "The issue is not about _how_ he found out anymore, it's about what steps to take from here. Now I have an idea on what that step is," he paused before continuing. "or you also have the option of doing things in the way you see fit on your own."

James would be a fool not to take the greatest-wizard-who-ever-lived's help. He finally went to take the seat that was offered to him. "What would you have me do?"

"I have a comfortable house that you'll be able to occupy for the next few months. Of course it will have to be put under the Fidelius. No one, not even the members in this room will know the identity of the Secret Keeper."

James frowned. They were going into hiding. Under normal circumstances James would rather die than to hide like a coward. But Danny was just an infant – nowhere near ready to face Voldemort.

James nodded slowly. "Okay."

Dumbledore gave a small reassuring smile. "Do not worry James. As soon as it is safe, you will be able to go back home, but for now it is imperative to stay away from the public for a while. Daniel needs to grow and mature his magic before we begin training him for a war that is sure to come."

James flinched and turned away. What kind of was he – preparing his baby boy for the slaughter? Voldemort is one of the two most powerful wizards alive, the other sitting in this room choosing to pull strings instead of fighting him dead on. Dumbledore is convinced only Daniel will be able to defeat Voldemort for good. It was prophecised. If Dumbledore himself cannot take on Voldemort anymore due to his increasing age, Daniel was everyone's last hope. A martyr, or a hero if lucky.

"Wait, Prongs." James turned to Sirius, hoping that the long haired auror had a miraculous solution to all his problems. Sirius turned his attention to Dumbledore. "If the James and Lily are not allowed to go out into the open now, what will happen to Harry?"

There was a murmur of confusion sweep across the room. Dumbledore blinked, for the first time tonight looking as if someone surprised him. "What about young Harry? I assumed he was already safe and living out his childhood with his aunt and uncle?"

James scowled at the surprised faces of the Order members. Did they really not know James had an eldest son? He must have mentioned him... one or twice? "He is," James murmured, pausing for a moment, "well I'm sure I'll still be able to visit every once in a while. Dumbledore?"

The old man stared sadly, shaking his head. "No, James. Going into the muggle world, even for a few hours is too dangerous. There will be no way to provide proper assistance at a moments notice in the case of an emergency. Harry Potter is safe, James. No reason to add attention to him being there and effectively putting his life in danger."

James heart dropped. Harry's big doe-like green eyes popped into his mind; he won't be seeing those eyes for a very long time. He felt the comforting pats on his back from Sirius, but wanted nothing more than to go home and have a good cry with his wife. "It'll only be for a few months, mate. You'll see him again in no time."

James grimaced. Life was so fucked up. _It'll only be for a few months.. just a few months.._ James kept the mantra in his head to try to ease some of the guilt weighing in on him while the others made preparations for the ritual tonight.

Tonight. They were leaving tonight.

As soon as James feet touched the floor of his living room, he made a beeline towards the bedroom. His wife's small figure still sleeping soundly where he left her. Sighing, he decided not to wake her for at least another hour and silently closed the door behind him. He easily darted into the next room - Daniels nursery. A quiet colorful decoration of toys and stuffed animals met his eyes when he opened the door, along with the subtle aroma of baby powder and lotion.

Making his way towards the center of the room where his large, white crib stood, James peered down at the napping baby. Tufts of red hair so much like his mothers covered his small head. He raised his arms and swept a careful finger softly across his plush red cheeks. Smiling at the scrunched face the baby pulled, James stepped away determined to do what is right to protect the baby in front of him. Grabbing the suitcase from the closet he began packing all the clothes, pampers, and necessities Daniel would need. As much as he loved Harry, he wasn't the one in danger and Lily will just have to understand and support his decision.

Unfortunately, James had no idea that the few months they would spend in hiding quickly turned into years. Voldemort slowly started gaining more and more support during their years away. Giving out enthralling speeches and campaigns to the public about education reforms, strengthening foreign alliances, and bringing back wizarding traditions. Voldemort threw himself into politics just as strong as he did with his blood-filled raids.

The wizarding world was torn in half, every day closer to a civil war than ever before.

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"One of the top stories today is the Brangelina wedding!" Petunia raised her eyebrows and turned away from bowl of cake batter to the celebrity gossip on television. "Yes! The two finally tied the knot on-" A loud screech of a laugh reached Petunias ears causing her to scowl. That damn boy made her miss what the reporter said.

Grabbing the remote, Petunia aggressively turned the volume 2 more bars. "Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have have been together since their 2005 on screen-" Again a high pitched laughter interrupted the leggy blonde on television.

Fed up, Petunia wiped her hands on a rag near the sink and marched over to the open door that connected the kitchen to the backyard. "Shut up, boy! If I hear- _Ahh_!" Petunia shrieked, her hand flying to her racing heart. Frozen, she stood at the doorway watching incredulously as 2 – maybe 3 – garden snakes slid and wrapped themselves around Harry. The boy looked as if he was having the time of his life, laughing joyously as one flicked its tongue out on his cheek. If only the boy had puppies or kitten on him, she would have found the scene downright adorable.

_The freak is not normal_. Petunia thought fearfully as she slowly backed away, groping blindly at the side wall for her broom. As soon as her hand grabbed hold of the handle, she yelled out a shriek of a battle cry and lunged. "Off! Get off!" She shook the bristles of the broom on Harry managing to scare off and push the snakes off him.

Harry startled and now under the same attack burst out crying. "No! No Auntie Tunia!" he managed to cry out as the sharp pokes from the bristles caused red scratches to appear on his pale skin. One of the snakes raised its head and hissed threateningly at the hysterical woman. She gasped, eyes widening comically and, not a second later, was flying back inside the house sliding the door shut behind her.

Petunia leaned against the glass door taking the chance to catch her breath. Looking at Harry, her brown eyes met teary green ones. Petunia has had it with that boy and his freakishness. Shes tired of the floating of the floating objects, clearing the broken glass from whenever he throws a crying fit, and his cries at night for his mother. A mother that abandoned him here a year ago and stopped coming to at least visit 7 months ago.

Surprised when she heard the front door unlock and open, she let a breath of relief escape her. "Vernon! Vernon you won't believe what just happened with that freak!" She walked into the living room, eyes immediately softening at the sight of her diddykums wrapped up snugly in his pink puffy coat. "Oh my baby!Come here, sweetie," she cooed as she grabbed Dudley. Peering up at her husband she noticed his stiff posture and reddened face. "Whats wrong?"

"He's what's wrong!" He pointed towards the kitchen. "I've had it with your nephew. He is not your problem and definitely not mines! He was supposed to be here for a few months only. I wont have him here any longer!" He spit out, careful not raise his voice too loudly in front of Dudley.

Petunia nodded earnestly. She's not apt to handle his magic, and neither is she supportive of witchcraft in general to allow him in her house anymore.

Vernon continued, "I understand the parents for throwing him onto anyone that would take the bastard. The boys a menace! But to not even continue sending in the money is a bit too much! I visited the bank to see if maybe it was something on our end, but no. Not a single penny was deposited in the last 7 months to help with the boys expenses. What does your sister expect? That she and her rich husband can get away without helping with clothing, medical expenses and.."

"Oh, and what a sickly child he is as well! I can already tell the freak will need glasses soon. Just like the father I reckon." Petunia sighed, bobbing Dudley up and down as he began to fuss. "We'll have no choice now but to put him under your insurance. Schools won't take him without vaccinations as well."

"No," Vernon growled, shacking his fat head. He shook one chubby finger at her. "I refuse to put any more money into a child that is not mine. And do those ungrateful freaks more favors?" Vernon barked out a mocking laugh. "Their not even dead to be able to get away with this!"

Petunia stared puzzled. "Well what do we do with the boy? I don't fancy going to jail for child neglect, Vernon. Imagine what the neighbors would think. They'll take Dudley away as well." She clutched the oversized baby closer.

"No, none of that will happen. If his parents do not want him and we cannot afford to, then we just give him up."

"To who?"

"An orphanage of course." Vernon smiled as if finding it hilarious. "The answer is so simple. I know of one just a few towns over."

Petunia bit her lip and stared towards the kitchen. Slowly she started nodding. "Your right. I don't want any of his freakishness rubbing off on Dudley. My Dudley won't be tainted by that devil child." She sneered looking back at Vernon's triumphant face.

"Come, let's do it today." Vernon went into the cupboard under the stairs that they had stuffed Harry's baby cot and belongings in. For the second time in less than a year, Harry's clothes and shoes were stuffed into a small suitcase, ready to move on to another home.

That night Harry James Potter was officially signed over as a ward of the state at St. Mary's Orphanage.

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Hope you enjoyed and please Review ! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing involving Harry Potter or it's world, nor do I own The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. -_-

Please do not take offense to any religious material or characters you might find on this chapter. Everything was written purely so it would fit the plot.

Chapter 2 – I See Fire

"_And if the night is burning _

_I will cover my eyes _

_For if the dark returns _

_Then my brothers will die _

_And as the sky is falling down _

_It crashed into this lonely town _

_And with that shadow upon the ground _

_I hear my people screaming out _

_Now I see fire"_

_(Ed Sheeran – I See Fire)_

_Harry ran as fast as his little legs can carry him out of the stone building, wiping his tears with the back of his hands. For the third time this week Harry had to recite the prayer that was written on the board in front of the whole class. Harry tried his best to read the letters as he thought they were written but failed miserably. _

_He should have known that prayers would not have the words 'house' and 'feet' in them. _

"_He doesn't know how to read!"_

"_Can I please read it, Sister Jamie? He's dumb!"_

"_He's as blind as a bat! Like Old Sister Margaret!" _

_Everybody was laughing at him. Harry doesn't know why he's picked at all. Anything past arms length were blurry colors to his eyes. The other kids did nothing but make it worse for him. He knows they throw him obscene gestures to his face – even if he doesn't see it._

_Slowing down his pace, Harry stopped when he reached the nearby creek. Exhaling loudly, he plopped himself on the ground, hugging his arms around his legs. He didn't even bother looking at the scenery in front of him. Harry could just make out where the land finished and the water started. _

"_Hello, child."_

_Surprised, Harry looked up to see a man walk closer. He was a tall man, wearing all black slacks and a white button up shirt. "He-hello..." Harry slowly stood up, every nerve in his body telling him to run from this man, the air chilling and making the hair on the back of his neck stand. He's heard of scary stories where bad men will take little kids from their homes, never to hear from them again. It doesn't help that besides the clothes, Harry isn't able to see anything else about the man._

_The man chuckled as if sensing his thoughts, "Do not worry, I'm not here to hurt anyone. I was just out for a stroll and happened to see you run here crying. May I ask what's wrong?"_

_Harry relaxed a bit at that. "I have bad eyes." He mumbled, lowering his head._

"_What do you mean by bad eyes?" The man asked. "Personally, I have never seen a more beautiful set of eyes in my life."_

_Harry blushed a deep red and looked away from him. "Umm... thank you, sir." He shook his head. "It's just that I don't see very well... I'm blind." _

_He chuckled. "You're far from blind, child. You would not have been able to even get here if you were."_

"_Well, no I'm not blind, but I may as well be. Nobody ever chooses me to play with them and I'm always made fun of - and I run into everything!"_

"_Hmm... well maybe I can help with that."_

_Harry started, shaking his head, "No, no it's okay. Glasses are too expensive as a gift, mister. Sister Lucy believes we'll be getting a whole bunch soon anyways..." Harry lied and gave a shaky smile. Why would a stranger want to even help him?_

"_And yet here you are, crying about something that will be fixed soon."_

_Harry shrugged, "I don't mean to. Things get to me and I feel bad. So I just cry... don't you ever cry because you feel sad?" Harry stared up at him, leaning against the nearby tree and squinted. He couldn't make out anything past pale skin and dark hair. _

"_No. It does nothing to help the situation. It only makes you look weak to others." Came the silky reply._

"_Sometimes, it makes you feel better." Harry shrugged and looked away. He didn't like the way this man spoke. He sounded like Sister Grissel... when she wanted something. The voice was lower and softer, with affection almost. Except Harry didn't know this man, just like he barely knew Sister Grissel. _

_Voldemort raised an eyebrow at that. "And do you feel better now?"_

"_No... I still can't even see you." The small five year old looked tearfully down, "You must think I'm weak if you think that then."_

"_Normally I would except you're also only five. I'm sure one day you'll learn it's better not to give someone that satisfaction of seeing you hurt." Voldemort stepped closer, noticing the small boy stiffen. _

_Harry never told him his age. Staring at the man approach, body coiled to run at any minute. Harry listened to him continue, "In this particular situation, you'll find that it's pointless to cry over something easily fixed. You'll find that magic is limitless and can grant you almost anything."_

_Harry's eyes widened. "M-magic?" This man is crazy. He felt the man settle in near his face, invading his personal space. For a crazy man, he smelled wonderful – like clean cotton, musk, and some kind of subtle spice. It smelled comfy; if a smell was able to be described as such. _

_A second later, Harry flinched as soon as he saw him slowly inch his hand toward Harry's face. Pausing for only a second, Voldemort stored that information away for a later time. For now, he continued to raise his hand, carding his hand through Harry's soft, raven locks. _

_Harry froze. He felt the mans right hand continue to stroke his hair and saw his left index finger come stop at his temple. He added enough force to lift Harry's head up towards his face. Now that they were nose to nose, Harry was able to take in the rest of his features. The handsome nose, unblemished skin, strong jawline, dark brown hair... and..._

_Red eyes._

_Harry sucked in a sharp breath and tried pulling his head away. Voldemort tightened his hold on his head, "Shhh... this won't hurt. Much." He added. _

_'This won't hurt **much**?!' Harry repeated in his head incredulously._

_Scared to death, Harry stared frantically as the man started speaking in tongues, hissing softly under his breath. He continued staring at the red eyes in front of him, wondering if all the stories about Demons who came to take bad children was actually true. In an orphanage, there were stories told to the kids about the scary outside world. Harry felt stupid for coming outside in the first place now._

_Harry didn't have much time to ponder his fate when all of a sudden a piercing pain erupted in both his eyes. Shutting his eyes shut, he cried. _

_Instinctively, he threw himself out of the taller man's grip and unto the ground, but, just as the pain came, it quickly left leaving behind only a mild discomfort. _

_Harry groaned, feeling his face for any signs of blood or disembodied eyeballs._

"_Open your eyes, Harry."_

"_No." Harry stopped. "And how do you know my name? How do you even know how old I am?"_

"_Because I do know you. I know your family, your heritage... I know who you really are."_

"_My – my family?"_

"_Hmm... yes. Their alive you know."_

_Harry's eyes flew open. "Their alive?! I thought..." his voice broke off, not wanting to admit that he chose to believe they had died tragically than to believe they had abandoned him. _

"_They do not matter, Harry. You do not need-"_

"_Oh my god!" Harry's eyes widened._

_Voldemort raised an eyebrow at his outburst. "God?"_

_Harry didn't pay him attention and stared up at him. Suddenly he closed his eyes shut. "Oh my god," he laughed deliriously. Then winced, "Ow... my eyes hurt." He rapidly fluttered his eyes open and shut. It felt as if something was in his eyes. It didn't matter because Harry suddenly felt tears come to them again. "Oh my god..." He whispered again._

"_Your eyes will be a little uncomfortable for the next couple hours but it should pass." And that was all it took for Harry to launch himself into his arms. He wasn't scared of this man. In his books, he was the nicest man he's ever met. He fixed his vision. Harry can now see normally. Inhaling his scent, Harry smiled into the man's shirt, saying as many "Thank You's" as he could._

"_It was nothing. Consider it a birthday gift."_

"_Today's my birthday?" Harry blinked up at him._

"_You didn't know, child?"_

_Harry shook his head, still hugging him. "No, we don't really celebrate birthdays. It promotes selfishness and vanity, and instead of receiving gifts, we should tide all that we could to God."_

"_Well, that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a while. And I've been a witness to many."_

_Harry smiled. He didn't care how magic even existed, or that now he's questioning everything he's been told, but he does now that he sees everything so clearly now because of this man. "It's really all so overwhelming. All the bright, crisp colors. Its kind of making my head hurt." He confessed, "You also have scary eyes, but I don't find them so scary anymore."_

_Voldemort chuckled. "My eyes are scary? Good, that's one of the perks, although I'm glad you don't find it scary anymore, child."_

_Harry pouted. "Not a child. And may I ask what's your name?It's not fair that you know mines, and I don't know yours."_

_Voldemort hesitated before responding softly, "Tom. You can call me Tom." He slowly disentangled himself from the small arms. "I must get going, Harry."_

_Harry frowned."Will I see you again, Tom?"_

_Voldemort really had to get used to hearing himself referred to that name again. "Yes, you will. Unfortunately, I am not able to visit too much at the moment but, know that on your birthday, I'll always come and find you."_

"_Well then I look forward to seeing you next year?" Harry gave a dimpled smile._

_Voldemort smirked and waved goodbye, "Until next time, Harry."_

Harry smiled to himself at the memory of meeting his first friend Tom. He was ecstatic to learn about magic, learning that he was a wizard like Tom and became hungry to learn. He needed to learn how to take care of himself and not let anyone take advantage of him anymore. He started off with trying to get things to float a little,and soon was able to control the plants as well.

As Harry grew better at magic, his confidence grew. Eventually Harry started answering as many questions as he could in class, asking to be a part of the soccer games and helping others with their homework. The other kids saw his efforts and met him halfway, accepting him into their circle now that he was acting "normal" and just like them.

Though, once Harry mastered the little that he knew, he wanted to know what step he should take next. Unfortunately, when Harry expressed these thoughts to Tom in their second meeting – his 6th birthday – he received a long lecture on his young, uncontrollable core. Tom joked that he might accidentally cause something to explode if he tried to reach his magic at such a young age.

Even now, at 7 years old, Harry still has to stay away from stressing his core too much, always stopping when he's getting tired. Every now and again, like today, he breaks Tom's rules and tries to turn things into other objects. He wanted to prove to Tom he could handle it. Unfortunately, Harry hasn't gotten very far with that. Sighing, Harry turned to his favorite book while he rested his core, one of the few books the orphanage had – The Hobbit. Harry found it fascinating. Was Tom's world like the one of Bilbo Baggins?

"_In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort..."_

Harry continued to read with a silly smile on his face, knees drawn up and blanket around him, imagining a time when he'll be able to find his own hobbit-hole.

Five chapters later, Georgie, a small mousy blonde, comes running into the dormitory. The small Einstein – because Georgie was probably the smartest kid Harry has ever met – jumped into their shared bed. "Hey Harry!"

Harry scooted over and allowed him to settle in next to him under the covers. "Hey Georgie." Cautiously, he placed the book face down on the bedside table as to not lose his place. "How was your day?"

"Boring!" He pouted. "I hate when you get sick. You sure you can't come to at least the last few classes of the day? I need someone to talk to who doesn't just eat glue and play games all day."

Harry sighed, "Sorry, Georgie. You'll have to be without me for a few more hours. I really don't have the strength to make it through another of Sister Grissel's lectures." Harry technically didn't lie. He really was tired from the extra magic he keeps pushing himself to do, but truthfully he just really didn't like being stared at by those beady little eyes throughout the whole lesson. Harry is at least thankful that Georgie's clingyness and curiosity has stopped her from calling him to stay after classes anymore. He shuddered at the few rare instances of when Georgie wasn't stuck to his side.

"_Harry, a word?"_

_He cursed, closing his eyes. He should have been faster. Clutching his books to his chest, he slowly made his way back into the history room._

"_Close the door behind you, doll."_

_Freezing, Harry stared at her for a second. His blood ran cold... he really wanted to run. Run away from her. Swallowing, harry slowly turned around and closed the door shut. The click of the door making his heart jump._

"_Umm... what is it you wanted to speak to me about, Sister Grissel?" he whispered, his back still turned to her. He heard her heels start making their way over._

"_Oh, I said call me Grissy, hun. And you know what I wanted to talk to you about, Harry." Tears pricked his eyes as he felt her hand slowly make its way down his spine. "I missed you, dearie."_

"_No.. no. Please..." Harry chocked out a cry._

_She pouted, "You never want to see me anymore, Harry. Is it because of your new little friend. Don't worry I won't let him find out, or anyone." She turned him around to face her. His eyes met clear blue ones. God, how he missed the days when she was just another faceless blur of colors. Now he can see her red freckles on her face, the bit of lipstick on her teeth and the gray in her frizzy hair. So unlike the well polished features of Tom."They might ruin our fun. And we don't want that."_

_Harry slammed his eyes shut and shook his head. He gave out a sob as she trailed her red painted nails down the front of his shirt, unbuttoning it as she went down. No one would believe him anyway. They blamed him for everything bad that happens to the school. They wouldn't care if he died, much less if he was being hurt._

"_Your such a beautiful, beautiful boy, Harry." She crooned as she ran her hand through his soft curls, much like Tom does. He cringed and turned away. "No, look at me Harry, let me see those emeralds of yours. Yes... there they are. My... God must have really loved you to bless you with the appearance of a royal. My little prince." She kissed the side of his cheek, trailing her lips to meet his. _

"_No!" He yanked his face away, wincing._

"_Now, Harry. We went over this... You stay put and close that delicious little mouth of yours. Or else, I might have to explain to Sister Mary that you have been acting up in class..." She continued to kiss him. "Starting tantrums." Kiss. "Not turning in work." Kiss. "Getting a little **close** to your friend George."_

_Harry felt bile rise up, disgusted at her thoughts. _

"_Now will you be a good boy, Harry?"_

_Harry nodded, swallowing back tears._

"_Good boy." She whispered. She unbuttoned his pants with a single flick of her wrists and plunged a hand down. Harry bit down on his lips, drawing blood and covering up any gasps and sobs he made. "One day, when your older you'll feel how good this all can be. But for now... it's my turn to have fun."_

Shacking his head at the memories and the forming nausea, Harry forced them to the back of his mind, hoping he didn't look as pale as he felt. He sighed as he noticed the tears begin to form in Georgie's brown eyes.

"Harry, come on. You did promise me you'll always stick with me. That we'll be inseparable."

Harry frowned. When Georgie first came to St. Mary's last year, he constantly cried himself to sleep and spent his days shoved into a broom closet by the cruel older students. Students who used to do the same to Harry. Harry had just offered up his friendship and comfort to a boy who really needed it and reminded Harry of himself.

He knew it was worse for Georgie – he actually knew and lived with his parents for years before they abandoned him at the orphanage. Harry, although also abandoned, never met the people and had no memories beyond the walls of St. Mary's. So Harry cuddled him at night, sat with him at all times, and became his brother in every way. He just never meant for his words to be used against him.

"Georgie..." Whatever Harry wanted to say next was interrupted by the appearance of Sister Mary – the Head nun, and great granddaughter of the name-sake to whom the orphanage was named after. Both boys immediately stood up from the beds. "Good afternoon, Sister Mary." They chanted.

"Good afternoon, boys." She turned her sole attention onto Harry. "Potter, if you'll follow me. I would like to meet with you in my office." She turned her back to him and walked out the door, obviously giving Harry no choice in the matter.

Frowning he hastily followed after her, sharing a puzzled look with Georgie. Sister Mary never shows up to get students herself – she never even makes an appearance out of her office unless its at Breakfast, Dinner, and Sunday Mass.

Keeping his distance to her, he followed the nun down a flight of stairs. Harry never felt comfortable around women, always wary of their intentions and wandering eyes. Eventually, after many turns and stairs, they made it to her office towards the back of the school. Upon entering, Harry was then ushered into an adjoining room. This one looked like a conference room – except without any furniture.

"Wait here, Potter." He heard Sister Mary demand.

"Y-yes ma'am." He stuttered.

Sister Mary left the empty room, closing the door behind her. No one but him was in the room now. Confused, Harry looked around. The room was covered by plush red carpet and had a fireplace across him with a burning fire within it. The only thing strange about the room, besides the missing furniture, were the two hooks placed on the farthest wall.

Shrugging, he settles himself on the carpet. If he was being lectured at least he'll be warm and comfortable for a short while. Warmth like this rarely ever happened. The rooms of the dormitories were either freezing cold, like today, or boiling hot in the summer. The hardwood floors that covered every room in the building did nothing to protect the children from the cold, either.

Hearing voices, Harry turned his attention back to the door. He shifted uncomfortable as he heard his name being mentioned. Was he getting kicked out? Did they finally realize they couldn't deal with him either? Where do orphans go when orphanages don't want them?

Harry snapped to attention when he heard his name again. Furrowing his eyebrows, he slowly stood up. He approached the door cautiously, the voices becoming decipherable.

"...needs your help Father. I've gotten nothing but complaints from the other sisters. These things he can do... it's not normal."

"My dear daughter, what is it that he can do?"

"His vision for one! That boy was nearly completely blind just a couple years ago! Now, his vision is perfect!"

"Could our Father have heard his prayers?"

"The boy never prays!

"Hmm.. never?"

"I watch him during meals – he just looks around while all the others have their eyes closed. Forgive me father, but I had to observe. That boy has never welcomed God. Refuses to wear his rosary at times and is reluctant to attend Sunday Mass from what I've gathered."

"That is troubling indeed..."

"He has the devil inside him, I tell you. The snakes... Bart, our groundskeeper, has seen many snakes of all sizes trying to get inside his window. They follow him around whenever he's outside. The boy swears he doesn't speak the tongue, but it's like they know what he wants and when he feels threatened."

"My God."

"Oh Father, there's more. As a babe... he'll make things break, float, disappear..." She paused. "He recently had a haircut forced on him. Shaved the boys head, we did. Next day, it was like not a single strand was touched. Another time..."

"I think I've heard enough, my dear Mary. I'll like to meet him, but from what I hear an exorcism might be too extreme at this stage. We'll start small today... then take it from there. A child of the devil will not be able to enter this house, remember that Mary. We'll just have to protect him from whatever wants evil wants him."

"Yes... yes, of course, father. Follow me."

Harry scrambled back from his place on the floor just as soon as the door opened. Halfway in their conversation, tears had gathered in his eyes.

_'I'm... evil?'_

The man behind the voice was dressed as expected, a long black robe with the uniform white collar. He was a middle aged man with graying black hair and hard, brown eyes.

Staring down at the boy, he exclaimed, "Why your just a boy. How old are you, son?"

Harry glared at the man. "Its not true. None of what she said. I didn't do anything."

The man nodded but didn't seem to believe him. "My boy, I'm just here to help you. My names Father Patrick. We both just want to help." He pointed to himself and Sister Mary who stood just a little off the side. In her hand, she carried a large black duffel bag.

Harry's heart sped up. What was their definition of help? Not wanting to know the answer, he jumped up as fast as he could and dove towards the exit. Patrick growled and lunged after him, grabbing at the back of his shirt. Gasping, Harry clawed at the mans hands as he was pushed further away from the door.

"Now, please let's not make this difficult. You must learn to accept God and his love. Let him inside, let him help you drive out whatever evil wants to take root in you."

Harry pulled away, "No, let me go!"

"Well if you're going to struggle, I'll have no choice but to accelerate the process just a notch. Let's chain him up." Patrick motioned for Sister Mary, who pulled out black metal chains from the bag and continued to hook them into the the provided hooks on the wall.

It wasn't as much of a struggle as Harry would have like for it to have been for them to pin him on the wall, arms outstretched. Once shackled, harry finally let the tears he has been holding fall. "Please... don't hurt me. I'm sorry..." He turned his neck and begged with his eyes, pleading to God to help him as well. Instead, he stared in horror as Father Patrick pulled out a long whip. He yelled out a cry, pulling at the chains on his wrists. "No! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! NO!"

"Son, remember this is to help you. You must punish your physical body and plead for forgiveness." He kneeled down besides harry. "God, our savior will forgive your sins if you let him in and expel all sinful thoughts."

Harry cried out when he felt the whip snap at his back. Falling to his knees, he felt the lash of two more strikes. Blood burst from his lower lip when he bit into it around the fifth lash.

He shook his head wildly, gasping at the pain he was feeling. Harry tried to curl up into a ball but the chains wouldn't let him.

Pulling, he shrieked as he felt the whip finally break open his shirt and pierce skin.

Harry sobbed harder, chest heaving in pants. "Please..."

"Pray, son! Pray! God will help you if you pray for his salvation. Open up your heart to him."

Harry gasped as he felt another lash. How could he pray when he could barely keep a hold on a single thought? Harry was struggling to remember his own name through the pain.

Finally, after what felt like hours, Father Patrick pulled away. "Sister Mary, I think we're almost done for today."

_'For today!'_ Harry's mind caught.

Patrick continued, "Bring a wet wash cloth and some antibiotic ointment ." He heard her quickly shuffle out of the room. Harry sagged in relief.

Gasping Harry struggled to clear his hazy mind, blinking away the black spots in his eyes. Harry felt his consciousness slowly start to slip away. He turned to look over his shoulder and froze at the scene.

He saw Patrick reach into the black bag once again. Pulling out a long black poker – no not a poker. The end of the long metal rod was shaped to look like a metal cross. Flicking his eyes towards the fireplace, Harry heart stopped. "No..." He whispered.

Father Patrick's eyes met his green ones. "Oh yes. You need a reminder. A reminder of why we did this in the first place and why we are fighting to save your soul. The demons that stalk you also need the reminder. This is the only way to keep them at bay." He explained as he took the metal rod and placed the end of it in the fire.

Harry felt desperation claw up at him, "No. Please Father! I'll be good. Nothing will happen again I promise! There are no demons I promise..." Harry sobbed, nothing was going to save him.

Patrick ignored his plea and continued to wait for the cross to heat up, "Okay … almost – done." He declared, but as soon as he pulled his hand back, he dropped the metal rod with a yell. Hearing the stick fall into the floor with a sharp _clank_, Patrick turned to Harry, nursing his red, injured hand to his chest in pain. "You bastard! You did this!"

Harry's eyes widened. "No! No.. I didn't.." He flattened himself against the wall as he saw him step forward.

As soon as Patrick turned to him though, the fireplace behind him burst forward, sparking out tiny bits of flames towards him. Small patches of burnt carpet started appearing around the tall man, causing him to dance in place.

Horrified, the Father backed away quickly, "Wh-what are you doing?" He cried out in agony as a long lick of flame reached out to his leg making him tumble to the floor. Harry saw him start hysterically pat the flames from his leg out but it was to no avail. The flames from the fireplace started spreading across the carpet, engulfing the man. Patrick scraped and clawed at the floor trying to get further away, twisting his body in angles that just weren't possible.

Not able to cover his hears, Harry heard his yells pierce his eardrums. Cringing, Harry tried to look away but stared in a mixture of fear and fascination as his skin turned into a mix of red and black. Father Patrick writhed in pain, contorting his limbs inhumanly and choking on his own tongue. All that Harry could see from what could be identified as human were his two eyes that stared straight into Harry's own. A black hand started reaching towards him but Harry only stared fearfully. Soon, the body stilled.

Harry was startled when he heard the frantic yells of Sister Mary approach. He saw her burst through the door madly and did a double take at the scene, hand going to her heart. "Oh, God!" She shook her head and immediately dove aside to vomit. Silent tears streamed down Harry's cheeks, ears still ringing from the man's yells long after his death and the Sister's cries. By the time he noticed that the flames had not stopped, it was already too late, the fire had curled its way up the walls, stretching across the ceiling.

Thinking that the fire was coming by his own sense of fear and instincts, Harry closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down. Maybe the fire will die down as soon as his body doesn't feel in danger anymore. He felt sweat trickle down his face, the heat burning his skin and breaking his concentration.

Harry opened his eyes and panicked at the increasing flames, inhaling a mouthful of the smoke. It didn't work. Through the burning of his eyes and lungs, he croaked out, "Sister Mary! Please help me! The fire is nearing closer to me!"

She looked at him for a second and then proceeded to shake her head. "Your the devil. Go back to hell." She spat and backed out the door.

"No!" He yelled. "Please, help me!" He whimpered, looking back at the growing flames. They were completely out of control. He pulled at the chains, twisting his wrist to try to slip out. No luck.

With air becoming thicker, Harry was finding it hard to breath and see past the smoke. He shrunk down, curling himself into a ball, staring at the figure where Father Patrick's body lay – well what was left of it.

"Harry?! Harry, where are you?!"

Harry's head snapped to the door. "Georgie?!" Harry sputtered through his coughs, "Georgie, over here!"

He could barely believe his eyes when the small boy appeared in the door way. Georgie looked around wildly, eyes widening at the dead body of Father Patrick. Shacking his head, he took in Harry's hunched, bloody figure. "HARRY!" Georgie cried out.

Harry gritted his teeth, trying to stay conscious long enough to get out of here. "Go find something to pick at the lock! Quickly..."

Georgie nodded and ran back out.

"Hurry, Georgie!" Harry yelled, flames already flicking at his feet.

Georgie came back flying in the burning room a second later with a cry. Harry gasped at the giant ax in his hand and tried to throw himself out of the way. A moment later, Harry realized that Georgie managed to use the momentum in running to break the chain. Honestly, he couldn't feel all the relieved at the moment. "Are you crazy?!" He screamed hysterically, voice cracking. "That thing is too heavy! You would've taken my whole arm!"

"Well I figured this will do it! I don't think I even know how to pick a lock!" Georgie breathed, "Okay... one more time..." He said looking at the chain hooking his other arm to the wall.

Harry shook his head and saw him run out of the room again. This kid was going to kill him! He stared wildly, eyes widening when Georgie repeated the previous performance and came flying in. "Ahhhh!"

Harry closed his eyes and looked away sharply. As soon as he felt the tension from the chain hooked on the wall leave, he snapped his wrists to his chest, massaging the blisters that were forming. "Thank you, Georgie." He whispered, voice raspy and hoarse.

Georgie nodded, hugging him and helping him to his feet as much as he could. "Come on! We have to get out of here!" He pulled him out of the burning room, limping straight through the adjoining office, and into the hall outside. "Jesus!"

Harry stared at the chaos in front of him, gasping for fresh air that was non-existent. "I thought – I thought it was only in there..." He trailed off and looked at the scene before him. The was black smoke and fire covering the ceiling entirely, yells coming in from every direction. A sister, completely covered in fire ran past Harry, shrieking at the top of her lungs. Agonized screams flooded Harry's senses, overwhelming him.

"We-we have to run, Georgie." He said, pulling the shocked boys arm as he began to run, dodging broken debris falling onto them. Adrenaline pumped his body as he struggled to make his way down the halls, dodging panicked and crying children. He didn't want to die this way.

The flames kept climbing high, spreading to each room and burning everything in its wake. Harry continued running along with Georgie, both boys being pushed and shoved by the other kids. Bodies, some Harry was just able to recognize were littered on the floor, flames engulfing their bodies. Cornelia, Krissy, Dan, Arnie...

They were all dead.

Covering his nose with his sweater, Harry motioned Georgie to do the same. Georgie held unto his hand like his life depended on him, not caring for the long broken chain that kept smacking his arms and legs. "We have to make it to the exit!" He yelled over all the shouts.

Georgie nodded and ran with him. Both boys tried to ignore the screams of their friends, dodging the hallways that were completely filled with fire and fallen rubble. The fire was appearing sporadically, spreading faster than normal. It was like it was _alive._

Suddenly a body flew into Harry, and George, knocking them both down. Looking up he was met with a group of running kids and a frantic Sister Grissel. She gasped when she saw him, "Harry! Harry we must get out of here!" She grabbed his arms and yanked him up, tucking him into her side.

"NO!" Harry gasped, eyes staring madly at her.

"Harry!" He turned to the shout, seeing Georgie still on the ground.

"Wait, wait, Sister Grissel! Georgie! Georgie, grab my hand!" He stretched his arm out and sighed in relief when his fingers intertwined with his. Georgie smiled at him, but cried when they were suddenly separated by another person barreling in between both their hands. "Georgie, come on!" Harry tried pulling away from the woman, disgusted by her touch. "LET GO OF ME!"

She growled and yanked him towards her, picking him up completely off his feet. Harry's heart stopped. "No! NO!" Her strong perfume engulfed him and her hands were everywhere. Harry clenched his eyes shut and tried to breath. It felt as if no air was going into his lungs. He deepened his breaths, struggling to breathe. It was all too much, the pain in his body, her touch, the burning flames. Black dots appeared into his vision.

_Now I see **fire** _

_Inside the mountains _

"Calm down, we're almost there, baby. Just breath."

_I see **fire** _

_Burning the trees _

Harry turned his wide eyes to her, seeing her smile at him.

_I see **fire** _

Hollowing souls

_No,... but Georgie. _Harry thought as he finally succumbed to darkness.

_I see **fire** _

_Blood in the breeze_

Really hoped you enjoyed this chapter :) Please review!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do not own anything related to Harry Potter.

A/N: Sorry for the late update and for another filler chapter! Just really need to set the foundation before we start getting to Harry's story. Harry's very young so we'll be seeing a lot of other peoples point of view for a bit. There's a lot in the beginning that adds to who Harry is and who he becomes – as you can tell there was a major event in the last chapter attesting to that... but we are almost, _almost_ getting to the good stuff ;) promise!

VERY IMPORTANT: First chapter I mentioned Daniel as the Boy-Who-Lived – THAT IS WRONG! There is no boy-who-lived in this story. He's only the Chosen One and Voldemort never made a failed attempt at Daniel's life. It was my mistake, Sorry! Should not make much of a difference though- the context of chapter 1 aligns well enough. Will be fixing it soon, anyways.

Chapter 3 – The Aftermath

Jessica rushed outside of Starbucks, juggling her venti coffee and a plain bagel in her mouth, while hastily looking for her phone through her purse. "Dammit." she hissed, a bit of coffee searing her thumb. Finally, her hand hand emerged from her seemingly bottomless purse clutching her IPhone.

Sliding her finger across the screen, she answered the call from 'Ass #2'. "Stevenson, what do you want?" Her heels clicked against the pavement mimicking her fast pace. She had 2 minutes to walk 5 blocks and make it to work on time.

"Change of plans this morning. Meet me at Johnson Hospital. Something happened to that St. Mary's Orphanage."

"Really? An orphanage? Thought we got rid of them all back in the 50's..." She quickly changed directions, heading towards the nearest train terminal.

"Yea, it's one of the few remaining, apparently."

Jess shrugged and sipped on her drink. "So what happened?" She stopped at the crosswalk and started tapping her feet impatiently. She glanced at her watch, "I'll actually be a little..." She trailed off as 3 ambulances in a row raced passed her at an alarming speed, forcing every car to jerk to the side in effort to clear its way.

"Jess, just get here... _quickly_. Meet me in the pediatrics wing."

"Okay." She murmured. "I'll be there."

"And Jess – I'll cancel any plans you have for today if I were you."

Naturally, she would've scoffed and demanded he ask politely, but she knew that today wasn't an ordinary day. She hummed her understanding and hanged up.

BHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBH

St. Mary's Orphanage turned out to be one of the three remaining orphanages still around today that survived the integration of the Foster Care system. Politicians won people over with the promise of giving orphans homes and a better comfortable environment. They placed the kids in with foster parents, who in return received payments for the home they provided. Once a month, visitors looking to adopt kids will be given an Open House to get to know them. Orphans were now a part of normal society, going to public school and living the life of a normal kid.

Today, St. Mary's burned down to the ground, leaving roughly about 46 kids without a home, and a whole lot of paperwork and overtime for social workers like Jessica Andrews.

So far the casualties were up to 120 people – 34 staff and the rest children. Small, children who will never be able to grow up and become someone. They will never know a life behind those walls, nor the touch of a mother and father.

Jessica quickly made her way towards the restroom, tears springing to her eyes. Closing the door behind her, she slowly slid down against it, hugging her knees to her chest. Now in the privacy of the room, she allowed small sobs to escape her. She was just talking to Elena Miller, a cute girl with bright blue eyes, blonde pigtails, and a _beautiful_ smile. Too bad she suffered from 3rd degree burns in about 50% of her body. Not only is she going through life without a family, but now she has to learn to live with an even harsher reality. People were cruel in the real world. How was Jessica supposed to sugar coat it and shove her straight into it?

"Jess..."

She closed her eyes at the voice and drew in a a shaky breath. "Stevenson."

"You can call me Jake, you know. We have been working for 3 years now,"

She bit her lip, "Yea well... you don't wanna know what I have you down on my phone as then."

Jake laughed and Jess marveled at the feeling of calm over pass her. "Let me guess... Ass #2?"

Jess furrowed her eyebrows, "How did you know?"

"Well, from what I've peeked at, you have Ericson as Ass #1... not that hard to guess I would be #2."

Jessica let out a small giggle.

"There's that laugh..." Jake whispered. After a pause he added, "Open the door, Jess."

Pausing, Jessica scooted away from the door and reached up to open it. Jake's brown eyes and black hair quickly came to view. He was sat on the floor in the front of the door, not making any movement to enter in the bathroom with her, "Hi." He whispered.

She didn't answer and continued to look at him, eyes red and puffy. Jake's heart practically melted on the spot. "Crazy out there, isn't it?" He tilted his head towards the chaos on the pediatrics floor. Kids were getting transferred to different departments, government officials and staff juggling endless amounts of paperwork and reporters trying to sneak their way inside.

Jess, despite it all, laughed. Soon, Jake joined in and soon both couldn't stop the laughter, tears springing to their eyes. "This – this is awful!" She cried, "We shouldn't... shouldn't be laughing."

Jake shook his head. "Is it possible to be high off of stress?" He laughed, "A lady at the reception desk lectured me for placing my coffee on her desk earlier."

"I-" Jess stopped and laughed. "I got yelled at for helping a nurse with her fallen paperwork."

Jake smiled at her, "Is that why you ran here and cried as if your dog died? Stress finally broke you, did it?"

Jess sighed, the little girl flashing in her mind. "Nope." she glanced at him and pouted, "Although, I'll admit, that almost had me in tears too."

Jake laughed.

"I'm serious, everything is crazy. All these kids... there's so many things fucked up here. Their life, their futures... How do I go in there and talk to them about it? I can't do shit!"

Jake nodded, "I know what you mean. Sometimes it makes you think why you decided to even join this field. Why be a social worker when you cant handle watching kids suffer, right?

"I don't know even know..." She glanced at him, "But why did you?"

Jake shrugged, "I'll tell you when I figure it out."

Jess sighed for the hundredth time today and nodded. "Crack kids, child prostitutes... this job never gets easier."

"Or less fucked up." He gave her a wry smile.

Jess nodded and continued sadly, "I guess I felt like I can try to help them find another path. A better future."

"We still can give them that." Jake moved closer and bumped her shoulder with his. "Many kids survived today and it was for a reason, Jess."

Jess looked at him, really looked at him this time. Jake was actually a really handsome and caring guy.

"Now," Jake reached for something out of sight and gave her a folder. "Your last case, Ms. Andrews. This one is different than the other ones, though."

Jess cleared her throat and sat up, taking the folder and opening it up. Inside was the picture of a small smiling boy with black hair and green eyes. "Wow, he's a lil' cutie." She paused and swallowed, "Is he...?"

"Burned?" Jake supplied. "Barely, but lungs took quite a beating and suffered a severe panic attack as soon as he got out of the building." He pointed to the file. "That's not what makes him different though."

Jess turned back to the file, skimming through his medical files and psych evaluations. Eventually, she found what Jake must have been talking about. She gasped and shot up unto her feet. "Those bastards!"

Jake nodded and raised himself off the floor. "He's going to be permanent in social services, now."

Jess nodded, glad that she's getting the Harry Potter case, the child was _abused_. In every sense of the word – emotionally, physically, sexually. She glanced at the pictures taken of his back, wrists, and legs. She shuddered. "Do you know what room he is in?"

Jake nodded and moved aside to let her pass, "Room 157. Psych ward, though."

Jess nodded and made a beeline towards the elevator.

"And Jess?"

She turned back around, eyebrows raised in question.

"Dinner and a movie someday?"

"Hmm..." She smiled coyly, turning back around, heels clicking behind her. "Maybe someday."

BHBHBHBHBHHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHHBHBH

Thirty minutes later, Jessica was still outside Harry's room talking to the doctor. He found it necessary to explain all they had done for Harry and what still needed to be done.

A lot.

That boy came in unconscious and close to death. They put him through oxygen therapy and immediately noticed the way one of the nuns stuck too closely to him. From what Jess gathered, she was arrested as soon as they got a confession out of Harry. They boy spent his morning talking to the police and being prodded and tested.

"We had to give him a sedative when he first awoke. Woke up kicking and screaming for a boy named Georgie."

"Georgie? Is he..."

"Dead." The doctor sighed. "Has to be one of the unidentified bodies, doesn't he? Out of all the kids residing in this hospital, there is no boy named Georgie. Perished in the fire with all the others."

Jessica grimaced. No family and now no friend. Jessica really didn't have much to work with here for Harry.

"Ms. Andrews, you might find it interesting to know that the boy believes he killed them all."

Jessica looked at him strangely, "What? Could he have?" Jessica asked warily.

Doctor scoffed, "'Course not. From the wounds on his wrists, the boy was chained – for a long period of time. It is impossible. That building was old – it could have been anything."

"Oh, that poor boy. To believe he killed all those people..."

The doctor nodded as if reading her thoughts. "Diagnosed with severe anxiety and, for now, mentally unstable. Could develop into PTSD so should be monitored at all times. He should be on prescribed medicine... but psychological illnesses don't constitute as a basic necessity to the government at the moment. Wont pay for the boys medicines."

Jessica hissed. "Ugh! Of course not... those son of a..." she muttered, massaging the bridge of her nose to help the growing migraine. "So what should I watch out for?"

"Depression, any triggers to set his anxiety off, see if he can open up to you..." The doctor paused, "I taught him basic breathing and relaxation techniques to help keep the attacks away but if they happen, call for help immediately."

Jess nodded, noting to pass on the message when she finds him a foster home. She glanced towards the door. "Can I see him?"

The doctor nodded and looked at his watch. "Yes, just always be mindful of his history. Any problems please alert the nurses immediately. He should be fine right now, though."

Jessica nodded and watched him leave. Slowly she walked to the door and peeked inside. The boy was downright beautiful. Jessica was battling her instincts at pinching his cheeks and cooing at him. He had silky black strands of hair that curled at the ends, pale, smooth skin, and features that belonged to a porcelain doll.

But he looked so _sad_.

Jess stepped inside and cleared her throat. Harry immediately snapped his neck towards her. She noticed him become tense and rigid, eyeing her warily. "Hi, Harry. My names Jessica Andrews. I'm your social worker assigned to your case."

All she got in return was a tilt of the head; same wary look.

She walked closer, slowly settling herself on the bedside chair, dumping her stuff next to her. "Do you mind if I just hang out here?" She smiled kindly.

He said nothing and turned toward the television hanging on the corner.

_Oookay then. _Jess sighed, looking around awkwardly. Now that she was closer, she took a glance at his eyes. They were striking, green eyes. Not the light grass-green or the green-bluish eyes, but honest to god, _emerald_ green.

_There has to be a crayola color based off it somewhere._ She thought flippantly.

At the moment, little Harry Potter started flipping through the channels. His face was devoid of any emotions, blankly staring at the screen. Jess didn't know if it had to do with the drugs in his system or if that is just how he learned to be.

Jessica coughed quietly. "Um.. Disney Channel is on channel 4 if you'd like."

Harry stopped flipping the channels and flicked his eyes over to her. Jess shifted uncomfortably, deciding not to continue a conversation. She wanted to let him get used to her presence for a while longer. Based on his history, he really doesn't react well to females. It is better to let him initiate all communication. Makes Jessica wonder why this case wasn't given to Jake in the first place.

Jessica saw him look down at the controller and press the number she suggested. Soon, the room was filled with a crappy intro to a tween sitcom.

Twenty minutes later, Jessica was startled out of "Good Luck Charlie" by a small voice.

"What was that?" She asked. She could honestly already hear Jake's laughter if he found out she got a little too into the kids show.

Harry looked down at his hands, "Can... can I have some water, please?" He croaked out

Jessica cringed at the sound of his voice, but jumped up immediately. "Of course!" She gave a bright shaky smile. The soot inhaled through his nostrils and throat caused swelling, as explained to her by his doctor. His voice will be hoarse for days. She quickly placed a full glass of water on his mobile table top. He quickly grasped the cup and slowly started drinking it . He flinched at the pain. "Yes, it'll be painful for a bit, but it'll get better." She paused, "Everything _will_ get better, harry."

Harry looked at her and shook his head.

Jessica took this as a sign hes now willing to talk to her. "You don't think it'll get better?"

Harry made no motion of agreement, nor disagreement.

Jessica sighed, "Do you know what I do for a living, Harry?"

Harry furrowed his eyebrows in question.

"I make sure that kids like you go to good homes. And that they never get treated badly again."

Harry looked away, face set back into that cold mask of his.

"Hey, I'm going to make sure you get the home you deserve okay?"

He looked down and this time Jess noticed tears begin to well up in his eyes.

"Hey, sweetie..." Harry flinched at the endearment. Sighing, Jess continued, "Don't be scared. Moving somewhere new probably sounds scary but I promise you it wont be bad."

Harry shook his head. "No, not scary."

"No?" Biting her lip, Jess slowly opened his file and grabbed a pen. As much as she hated making him feel like a dissected lab rat, by law, she has to document everything down.

Harry continued, eyeing her pen. "No, I'm used to moving in with new people. I-" He gulped, "I'm happy I'm out of there. It's just..."

She paused writing, "Harry… the abuse you went through will _never_ happen again. You might be going to a new home, but I'll always check up on you." She smiled at him reassuringly. "Your stuck with me, kid."

He smiled for the first time and finally seemed to relax into his pillow.

Glancing at her watch she realized what time it was. "Oh, it's almost time for the nurses to start prepping you for surgery," she bit her lip, looking at the door. "They should've been here already, actually."

"Oh yeah... that." He looked towards the door scared they'll burst in there an moment and start slicing him up into pieces.

"Don't be scared. You wont feel a thing. You'll be sleeping."

"Sleeping?"

Jessica shrugged. "Yes, except you wont feel a anything. Nor wake up until their done."

"Do you know... what they'll be doing to me?"

"They didn't explain it to you?"

"Well yeah... They told me a lot but I didn't know what any of it meant." His voice cracked and it set out a coughing fit. If he was only 60 years older and a heavy smoker, the set of rough coughs might have just seemed normal – but this was a 7 year old.

"Oh-oh." She filled his glass with more water. "Well, this is why their doing the surgery. Try not to talk too much until then. Their just going into your lungs."

Harry's eyes widened.

"Just to help make you breathe better. There seems to be fluid collecting in the upper airway causing some blockage," she explained quickly. "I know you got x-rays done and blood tests. Everything seems to be fine, just need to take your medicine and do this surgery, and then I can start looking for your new home."

"And if they don't do the surgery?" She glared at him pointedly and he snapped his jaw shut.

"Then soon, with all the swelling, you'll be breathing through a tube down your throat."

"Then they should just let me die," he whispered, turning away from her.

Jessica frowned, "Why would you say that? You still have so much to live for, Harry."

"I should've died in that fire too... I shouldn't have..." he shook his head and trailed off, his voice cracking. "I killed them all."

Jessica closed her eyes. "How do you suppose you killed them all? The building had old, faulty wiring..."

"No!" He yelled. "I started that fire. I watched them all die. I couldn't stop it," he started shaking, lips trembling as he tried to hold in his tears.

Jessica shook her head, "No you did not, harry." She got up and walked to his bedside, "You had nothing to do with it." She grabbed his hand soothingly only to have it yanked away. Harry's eyes opened and like a startled baby animal lurched away from her. His heart monitor started beeping rapidly.

"What is going on here?" A nurse bustled in agitated at the bother they caused her.

Jessica sighed and backed away, palms up in surrender. "Nothing. Harry, I will never hurt you. I apologize for not asking for permission." Jessica scolded herself in her head. Psychology 101 – never touch an abused child without his express permission.

The nurse glared at her and continued to chart the machines data and look at his file. "Okay..." the nurse started and pulled out a syringe from her pocket. "Your going to start feeling a bit groggy, Mr. Potter." She told him softly, while injected the needle in his IV. To Jessica she added, "This is only a mild dose, he shouldn't fall asleep."

Jessica nodded, "It's just a sedative?"

The nurse nodded and continued to flash light in Harry's eyes to see the drugs take effect. "Yupp. For now, it's the only thing controlling his panic attacks." Straightening up the nurse gave her a stern look and continued, "Be more careful, Ms. Andrews."

After her departure, an awkward silence settled in the room. It might have been just been coming from her though, since harry went back to watching TV - something to do with kid wizards this time. The topic of murder behind them, but definitely not forgotten. Jessica smiled at Harry's fascination at the show and turned to her briefcase. She might as well get some other work done as well.

Jessica was just in the middle of going through Elena and Mark's files when Harry's nurse came back informing them they'll be coming soon to prep him for surgery.

"Hey, I have an idea!" She placed the files down and smiled at him. "How about I bring you some McDonald's today for dinner? Surgery makes even the toughest men hungry."

Harry's eyes brightened and he smiled. "Really? I've never had it."

"The horror! We must fix that immediately! Even if I have to sneak it in." Jessica gasped and winked conspiratorially.

Harry giggled and, honestly, Jess thought she might actually have to do just that, but she'll do anything to make this kid's day just a smidge better.

After gathering her bag and briefcase, she made her way out the door, leaving a Post-It note with her name and phone number on the beside counter. She didn't trust the nurses to provide that information to him and she didn't want him to have to ask for it.

"I'll be right back, hun, okay?"

Harry nodded and saw her slowly leave the room, turning back to watch Alex do more magic with her wand. He didn't understand the use of wands, why his magic turned on him, and why did he have the feeling that he was being watched.

Harry sighed and looked down at his scarred wrists, wishing the voices inside his head will shut up and let him sleep for a bit.

_You killed them all._

_You abandoned Georgie._

_Your the devil. Go to hell._

Closing his eyes, he covered his ears with his hands desperately, seeking any kind of reprieve. Maybe, he should have asked his nurse to give him a stronger dose of that medication.

"Oh, _Harry_."

Gasping, Harry's head flew to the direction of his voice.

Emerald eyes instantly met red eyes.

BHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBHBH

Hope you enjoyed! And please **Review**! ^.^


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